How to properly land manually?

[n8lbv]

Sorry another newbie (to the solo) question.
I'm having some problems when landing in FLY mode..
Twice now it has almost flipped over..
Both times:
in FLY mode I bring it down until it is firmly on the ground.
Left stick all the way down after it has landed I press the FLY button to try and get the props to turn off.
The turn off for about 1/2 second then spin back up!
Then it almost flips over.
At this point I have NEVER left off the left stick it is all the way down.

Freaks me out a bit when it spins back up after stopping.

I'm obviously doing somethng wrong

Maybe need to be completely in manual no GPS mode to land manually.

I've done this before I don;t know why all of a sudden I'm having a problem with it spinning back up after
They turn off..

I'll try and get a video of it happening

 

[Stealth]

Sorry another newbie (to the solo) question.
I'm having some problems when landing in FLY mode..
Twice now it has almost flipped over..
Both times:
in FLY mode I bring it down until it is firmly on the ground.
Left stick all the way down after it has landed I press the FLY button to try and get the props to turn off.
The turn off for about 1/2 second then spin back up!
Then it almost flips over.
At this point I have NEVER left off the left stick it is all the way down.

Freaks me out a bit when it spins back up after stopping.

I'm obviously doing somethng wrong

Maybe need to be completely in manual no GPS mode to land manually.

I've done this before I don;t know why all of a sudden I'm having a problem with it spinning back up after
They turn off..

I'll try and get a video of it happening

Usually when I land [manually] I decend Solo to altitude appr. 0.5 m. AGL and then I land/lower the altitude it more gently. When Solo touches solid [and level] ground I continue to hold the LEFT THROTTLE STICK down until Solo powers off props. If the ground is not level Solo could think that it has not landed and try to level itself and flip over.
Next thing is what Ardulpilot f/w you are using. The a/m procedure applies to f/w 1.3.1. As I read some threads it is a different procedure for f/w 1.5.1 - hold the left stick down and left.
I hope this helps.

 

[andrew.baker.142]

Why are you pressing the Fly button after landing? That is instructing the copter to try and take off again.
Holding the left stick down until the motors stop is the correct procedure. If you want to stop the motors right away hit A+B+Pause buttons (at the same time) and that will kill the motors (in the air or on the ground).
Also you are more likely to have a flip on landing if the ground is uneven.

 

[kabonski]

One thing that sticks out to me is that you are hitting the Fly button once it has landed. You should just try holding the left stick down until the motors stop. I suspect that hitting the Fly button while doing this is causing your issues. Hopefully this helps!

 

[n8lbv]

Usually when I land [manually] I decend Solo to altitude appr. 0.5 m. AGL and then I land/lower the altitude it more gently. When Solo touches solid [and level] ground I continue to hold the LEFT THROTTLE STICK down until Solo powers off props. If the ground is not level Solo could think that it has not landed and try to level itself and flip over.
Next thing is what Ardulpilot f/w you are using. The a/m procedure applies to f/w 1.3.1. As I read some threads it is a different procedure for f/w 1.5.1 - hold the left stick down and left.
I hope this helps.

I'm on 1.5.3

 

[n8lbv]

Why are you pressing the Fly button after landing? That is instructing the copter to try and take off again.
Holding the left stick down until the motors stop is the correct procedure. If you want to stop the motors right away hit A+B+Pause buttons (at the same time) and that will kill the motors (in the air or on the ground).
Also you are more likely to have a flip on landing if the ground is uneven.

Because *I think* when you are in fly mode (flying) it's a press FLY to land situation.
It was level but grassy ground.
It's also the only way I have ever got the motors to turn off when not auto-landing.
Aside from CTRL-ALT-DEL (A+B+Pause)
Holding the left stick all the way down in FLY mode has NEVER turned off the motors for me after landing and holding it down.

I swear it worked fine for me before!!
Maybe I'm holding the fly button too long or not holding it long enough.
Maybe it needs two quick taps to turn off the motors I don't know.
I need to revisit the manual.
Just lately it's doing this weird thing where the motors stop and then immediately power back up.
Even while I'm holding left stick all the way down.
And here it tried to tip.

I've tested A+B+Pause before to make sure it works and to get a feel for how long it takes to work.
I am always ready to use that if needed, but not for general landing.
Want to learn how to do it properly while in a GPS assisted mode.

 

[Bilge]

Yes...why are you pressing the Fly button after touchdown....hold the left stick straight down from center position to turn off motors after 2-3 seconds.

 

[Acroduster]

Simple solution: do not land in Fly mode. Always land in Manual mode...

 

[andrew.baker.142]

If you press and hold the Fly button while in the air, it will auto land. Pressing it while the copter is on the ground and still armed is telling it to take off again.

 

[klineka]

If you press and hold the Fly button while in the air, it will auto land. Pressing it while the copter is on the ground and still armed is telling it to take off again.

I have never understood why anyone would land any differently than what andrew posted above. I have flown 10+ times so far since I've had my solo and I always bring the solo to around 6-8 feet off the ground then press and hold the fly button and let it land itself. I see no reason to land any other way. That is also how I take off, havent had any issues taking off or landing.

 

[Deleted member 7413]

Here it is straight from the Solo manual:

To land the Solo at its current location, hold the Fly button.
When you command Solo to land, it will land at the current location wherever it is. Always make sure there is a clear path to a safe landing point directly below Solo before landing.
After landing, the propellers will stop spinning automatically; wait until the propellers stop spinning before approaching Solo. If the propellers do not stop, press the controller’s Pause button or use the emergency shutoff option described in Secion 4.9.5.

 

[n8lbv]

I have never understood why anyone would land any differently than what andrew posted above. I have flown 10+ times so far since I've had my solo and I always bring the solo to around 6-8 feet off the ground then press and hold the fly button and let it land itself. I see no reason to land any other way. That is also how I take off, havent had any issues taking off or landing.

Because if it's really windy or in some other scenarios I'd like the option to manually land it and manually shut off the motors.
manually landing it and then hitting A+B+Pause may be my only option here.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Holding fly while on the ground is telling it to take off again. Absolutely nowhere in any manual does it say to do that. Holding fly while it is still in the air puts it into land mode.

Just hold the left stick down and it will disarm on its own after several seconds. It is no more complicated than that. This applies whether you are in fly or manual. Trying to make it more complicated will just make it more complicated.

 

[n8lbv]

Just hold the left stick down and it will disarm on its own after several seconds. It is no more complicated than that. This applies whether you are in fly or manual. .

I will give that a try. Thanks!

 

[Acroduster]

The auto-land and auto-takeoff features are very nice. However, they should rarely be used with Solo.

"I have never understood why anyone would land any differently than what andrew posted above. I have flown 10+ times so far since I've had my solo and I always bring the solo to around 6-8 feet off the ground then press and hold the fly button and let it land itself. I see no reason to land any other way. That is also how I take off, havent had any issues taking off or landing."

Klineka - to address this, understand that the GPS system that Solo uses is not the best. However, even if you have upgraded it, the nature of the system dictates that the closer your aircraft is to the ground, the less accurate it is likely to be. Sometimes this inaccuracy can lead to the bird thinking it is not where it is supposed to be. This causes the tragic low-altitude fly-aways that you'll see posted here (and on any other GPS stabilized quad forum).

To solve this problem, always take off and land in Fly:manual mode. This mode generally holds altitude, but does not use the GPS system. An added bonus is that it will make you a better pilot. Hey, if you're in heavy winds or are having a ham-fisted day and don't trust yourself on the landing, go ahead and use auto-land, just don't make it the norm. Commercial pilots are required to manually land aircraft at certain intervals even though most of those planes can land themselves. The idea is to keep the pilots sharp should those automatic systems fail. If you value your Solo, you should do the same.

 

[klineka]

The auto-land and auto-takeoff features are very nice. However, they should rarely be used with Solo.

"I have never understood why anyone would land any differently than what andrew posted above. I have flown 10+ times so far since I've had my solo and I always bring the solo to around 6-8 feet off the ground then press and hold the fly button and let it land itself. I see no reason to land any other way. That is also how I take off, havent had any issues taking off or landing."

Klineka - to address this, understand that the GPS system that Solo uses is not the best. However, even if you have upgraded it, the nature of the system dictates that the closer your aircraft is to the ground, the less accurate it is likely to be. Sometimes this inaccuracy can lead to the bird thinking it is not where it is supposed to be. This causes the tragic low-altitude fly-aways that you'll see posted here (and on any other GPS stabilized quad forum).

To solve this problem, always take off and land in Fly:manual mode. This mode generally holds altitude, but does not use the GPS system. An added bonus is that it will make you a better pilot. Hey, if you're in heavy winds or are having a ham-fisted day and don't trust yourself on the landing, go ahead and use auto-land, just don't make it the norm. Commercial pilots are required to manually land aircraft at certain intervals even though most of those planes can land themselves. The idea is to keep the pilots sharp should those automatic systems fail. If you value your Solo, you should do the same.

While I dont disagree that the closer your aircraft is to the ground the less accurate it is likely to be, I have certainly seen way more posts about crashes from manual take off and landing than I have from auto takeoff and landing. The auto takeoff and auto landing features were designed for a reason, why not use them? If I manually land and come down too fast and crash, or come down too slow and flip over, then that is user error. If I auto land and it suddenly drops out of the sky and flips over, then that is a 3DR issue, which *should* be covered by 3DR.

Like I said, I use the auto land feature when I am 10 feet or less from the ground, I am not trying to use it when I am a couple hundred feet in the air. I have yet to see a compelling reason why someone should manually land vs auto land. I have flown in sustained 15-20 mph winds and auto landed from 10 feet no problem. In my opinion I feel like you are way more likely to crash when manually taking off/landing vs auto takeoff/landing

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

First of all, if you are crashing from a manual takeoff, I'm sorry but you're just too dumb to be using the Solo at all in the first place. That would be intentional, gross mishandling. Like taking off while also holding the pitch or roll over. And even then, you would still need to try very very hard. Taking off in manual is easy and safe as long as you aren't a total idiot. The auto takeoff is very safe and reliable too, because again there is nothing in the way. All it has to do is go up and stop.

Arguing about what method of landing is safer and better is futile. It is highly dependent on conditions. Weather conditions, ground conditions, operator experience, and flight characteristics. Landing in manual is not more dangerous or more prone to wrecks. In fact it is less prone to wreck and safer. Operators without experience are more dangerous and prone to wrecks. An experienced operator can land safer and more reliably in manual in nearly all conditions. An inexperienced operator will probably crash if the weather and ground conditions are not ideal. Furthermore, automated landings can be very very easily botched by GPS glitching, barometer glitching, and accelerometer glitching, and rough flight. A human with eyeballs and fingers is not fooled by those things. Put the stick down, hold the stick down, the Solo will disarm and turn off, period. The automation doesn't have eyes or the ability to reason. I'm not saying automated landing shouldn't be used. It has it's place. But you need to be aware of what it's doing and what can get in the way.

 

[klineka]

First of all, if you are crashing from a manual takeoff, I'm sorry but you're just too dumb to be using the Solo at all in the first place. That would be intentional, gross mishandling. Like taking off while also holding the pitch or roll over. And even then, you would still need to try very very hard. Taking off in manual is easy and safe as long as you aren't a total idiot. The auto takeoff is very safe and reliable too, because again there is nothing in the way. All it has to do is go up and stop.

Arguing about what method of landing is safer and better is futile. It is highly dependent on conditions. Weather conditions, ground conditions, operator experience, and flight characteristics. Landing in manual is not more dangerous or more prone to wrecks. In fact it is less prone to wreck and safer. Operators without experience are more dangerous and prone to wrecks. An experienced operator can land safer and more reliably in manual in nearly all conditions. An inexperienced operator will probably crash if the weather and ground conditions are not ideal. Furthermore, automated landings can be very very easily botched by GPS glitching, barometer glitching, and accelerometer glitching, and rough flight. A human with eyeballs and fingers is not fooled by those things. Put the stick down, hold the stick down, the Solo will disarm and turn off, period. The automation doesn't have eyes or the ability to reason. I'm not saying automated landing shouldn't be used. It has it's place. But you need to be aware of what it's doing and what can get in the way.

This makes sense. Thank you! I am certainly still in the operators with minimal experience category. So to clarify, if I use the fly button to take off, fly around for a bit, take some video, then come back in for a landing, lets say im landing on a driveway, flat, smooth, minimal wind, to do the manual landing, all I would need to do is just hold the stick down and keep holding until the motors turn off correct? Or do I need to press A/B button to enter manual fly mode in order to manually land?

Can you manually land when you are in GPS assisted flight mode or do you have to enter manual fly mode first?

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Throttle down and hold it applies to both fly mode and manual mode. Landing in manual mode removes the GPS and GPS glitches from the equation. But adds the operator's ability to keep it stable.

 

[Solo Keith]

I think one of the reasons we as newbs initially got Solo was its autonomous abilities. Solo was my first "real" consumer drone. I wanted to learn how to pilot manually and Solo is perfect for learning how. I'll be honest and say I was nervous every time I practiced anything that wasn't autonomous. But I made it almost a religion to practice piloting manually every chance I got. I was even bringing my Solo bag to work w/me all of 2016. Learning to pilot Solo and then going out and piloting Solo is and always will be a blast.
Thanks to that one monkey add in late 2015, I'm now locked into a hobby and community that is giving me beautiful skills and knowledge. I'm not flying my Solo's as much these days after learning Acro on Solo. That got me the FPV race bug. But Solo still comes along when I'm out practicing my FPV builds.
Enough rambling and pride from me. I just really wanted to say to all that are flying autonomous, to practice piloting Solo manually every time you get a chance. Practice Practice Practice